Hierarchical Art: A Study of Hierarchy in Kathakali and Koodiyattam

Kerala has always proved to be a fertile ground for research in the field of culture studies. Performing art forms of Kerala play a crucial role in the making of this fertile ground. The artistic diversity of performing art forms of Kerala is well-known. However, the underlying cultural politics in them seldom gets noticed. The multiple art forms of Kerala follow a super imposed hierarchy as a result of Kerala’s rigid caste system. The art forms patronized by the upper castes became privileged. Eventually these art forms were perceived to be ‘high art’. Art forms with lower castes as the key participants got pushed to the margins. These art forms were denied social approval and visibility. Apart from the rigid caste system colonial modernity also has equal blame to share in imposing a hierarchy in the realm of Kerala’s performing art forms. The colonial mode of nomenclature, distinction and organization introduced the idea of ‘civilization’. This resulted in a system where certain things became civilized and others were tagged uncivilized and inappropriate. This new mode of classification also favoured the dominant class and their art forms. The paper titled “Hierarchical Art: A Study of Hierarchy in Select Art Forms of Kerala” is an investigation of the politics which brought about an invisible yet omnipresent distinction in the art forms of Kerala with a special focus on two performing art forms- Kathakali and Koodiyattam.